After making the phone calls Lex decided to go to the Talon and take care of a part of his plan there. He went out to the garage and noticed that he couldn't take his shiny silver car because it was currently smashed in a ravine within rolling distance of his house. He sighed and decided to take his shiny red one instead.

Lex parked suavely in front of the café and walked inside. He saw Clark standing by a table talking to Pete and they were both looking enthusiastic. Lex walked past their table and ignored Clark when he exclaimed, "Lex!" and waved excitedly.

"All part of my plan," Lex said, under his breath as he walked away.

"What was that?" asked Lana, who happened to be standing right behind him and had very sharp hearing.

"Oh, Lana," Lex began, ignoring her question suavely, "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Really?" said Lana, dimpling a curious smile.

"Yes, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drive tonight and have dinner with me?" As he said this he glanced over at Clark, whom he knew was listening in.

Lana's smiley frown became even more puzzled and she said, "Why Lex, I didn't think you liked me that way."

"Oh," Lex lied, "I do."

"Well…alright. Where are we going?"

"As I said before, we'll go for a drive in one of my shiny cars and then I was thinking we would go to El Pescado Agrio for dinner and then," he glanced over at Clark again and said loudly, "We'll go back to the Luther Mansion and see what develops."

"You didn't have to say that so loudly, I'm standing right here."

"I know," as he said this he fell over, less suavely than he would have liked. "Why did I fall over?" he silently wondered, then he noticed that it was because Chloe had thrown several small marbles on the floor in front of him. "Chloe, why did you do that?" he asked.

"Because, Clark told me all about how you made the price of corn plummet so that his family would make less money than they used to. You do realize that you're hurting other people than just the Kents with this, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, how could one person cause the price of grain to go down? You're just being silly and Clark is being paranoid and childish." Actually he knew exactly how one person could do it because Chloe was telling the truth and it was part of his plan but he, of course, couldn't let her know that so early in the game.

"Oh really? Well I don't know how you did it but I'll get to the bottom of this and then I'll report it in the school newspaper!"

"Oh! The school newspaper! Whatever will I do? Dear God, I'll be ruined!"

"Very funny, Mr. Luther, but I'll get you. I always stick up for my friends!"

"Charming."

That night Lex picks up Lana in his shiny black car.

"Lana you're looking delightful."

"Thank you," she smiled.

'Sweet Jesus,' thought Lex, 'Why won't she abandon that one smiley-frown-puzzled look she's always got on? I've got to get to a mirror, I haven't admired my reflection in over and hour! Don't panic Lex, don't panic.'

When they got to El Pescado Agrio he noticed a familiar red pickup truck parked in the street outside the restaurant. "Ah, I'm brilliant," Lex whispered inaudibly.

After they had ordered Lex glanced over at Clark for about the twenty-eighth time that evening. Then he said quietly, "Kiss me Lana."

"Ok, but you're acting awfully strange," she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and he, thinking this was dumb, turned his head so their lips were touching. As they kissed his eyes wandered over in Clark's direction and he was delighted to see that he looked insanely jealous. Then Lex decided to do something impulsive, he grabbed Lana's hand and dragged her out to the shiny car and they drove to the Luther Mansion. He knew that Clark was following in his ridiculous pickup, partly because of intuition and partly because he had looked in the rearview mirror. It was probably the first time he had used a mirror for anything but staring at himself.

When they got inside he began to kiss Lana some more, purely because he knew Clark was at the window, he really didn't like the girl.

"Lex, stop!" she said, "I think you had the wrong idea about this evening."

"Actually, I think that if either of us had the wrong idea it was you; I made it pretty clear what I was going for but I'll get chauffeur to take you home."

After she was gone Lex felt sort of relived but that feeling soon evaporated when he saw Clark burst in, "Lex! Why are you doing all these things to me?"

"Why? I think it's pretty obvious why!"

"Oh really?! Well, I'm leaving."

"GOOD!" As Clark stepped out of the house a thunder storm erupted over their heads, "That's right!" yelled Lex, "I also control the weather!"